Examining the Pikmin 3 Nintendo Direct Footage

Hello friends! Given that I am a big fan of the Pikmin series, I thought I would take a closer look at the recent footage shown for Pikmin 3 in Nintendo Direct. The footage offered a few interesting shots that I feel could raise intrigue. Here are my quick thoughts based on what we saw:

Enjoy!

Pikmin 3 features three brand new protagonists. Their names are Alph, Britanny and Charlie, the leader of the group. (obvious by the star on his suit) These heroes come from the planet Kopai, which is different from the series former protagonist, Olimar, who resided on planet Hocotate. With Charlie looking much older and larger than the other two, could this mean that he is the father of Brittany and Alph? It is doubtful, but a later image gives slightly more credence to this theory.

It's interesting to note that earlier shots of the game showed us a fourth, slender character. He seems to have either been removed from the game, or perhaps he features in the multiplayer mode.

Like in Pikmin 2, the heroes of Kopai seem to crash land in separate areas of the planet. Alph is seen here in some sort of river, while Charlie can be seen landing in a snowy terrain below.

How poetic -- the heroes meet the Pikmin in a very humorous manner, just like Olimar.

Pikmin 3 revolves around a different goal from its predecessors. This time around players must gather fruit in order to bring back to their home planet Kopai. Perhaps the planet is starving? That's possible, but Alph is later seen remarking how large the size of the fruit is, suggesting the heroes goal is to instead provide their planet with an unlimited source of sustenance. In Pikmin 2, the goal of the game was to collect treasure in order to save Hocotate Freight's business from going bankrupt. While treasure no longer seems to be the goal, it seems that little pieces and idols still decorate the Pikmin's homeworld. The above image shows a can of what appears to be Tuna, suggesting we'll still see the quirky little pieces of treasure we are accustomed to.

This is quite interesting to note: Unlike Pikmin 2, which featured silent protagonists, it seems that Alph, Brittany and Charlie will actually speak and comment on events in the wilderness. Olimar made journals in the first Pikmin game, but he never provided live coverage. This suggests that the heroes of this game will not own a sentient ship like Olimar did, since that was used for the dialogue in Pikmin 2.

Also notice the fruit that falls from the tree in this shot. It seems to feature a propeller and a metallic design. This object can later be seen in the trailer with legs extending from its top. The full design of the object very closely resembles an Onion, the ship Pikmin use to travel into space with Olimar and friends. The fact that the object here is red, matching with the Pikmin, also suggests that this is an Onion. Their design seems to have changed if this is true. In previous Pikmin games, the Onion could be found burrowed in the ground shortly after arriving on the planet. It seems that in Pikmin 3 the heroes will have to first find it. This could mean the Pikmin are in more danger than ever before. Perhaps Alph will first have to gain their trust, by finding the Onion, before they will work for him.

The Onion can later be seen in all it's glory.

No, I'm not going to say it.

The return of the Fiery Blowhog!

As well as new, fiery slug-like creatures!

It seems the heroes of Pikmin 3 will not own a sentient ship like Olimar did, but their ship seems to feature the same analysis capabilities. The design is far different from the Hocotate ship and Dolphin. Despite the fact that their suits are so similar, it seems that Kopai houses different technology than Hocotate. Also notice the yellow legs extending on the right of the image. These are most likely the legs of an Onion.

There are a couple ides to consider here. First, notice that we once again have proof of live character dialogue. We also get a shot of the juice bottles that our heroes can create to sustain life. The many rows seem to suggest that you can carry dozens of bottles at one time. Skilled players may be able to amass a collection large enough to explore for days without issue. However, it's also interesting to see that the juices are all of different color. This could be irrelevant, but why would the developers go through the trouble of giving each a different color if they all fulfill the same requirement? Perhaps the juices offer temporary perks or superpowers to the characters and each color grants a different one.

It seems that the electric walls have returned, suggesting Yellow Pikmin's ability will once again be immunity to electricity.

Now we see that Brittany speaks like a teenager. Does this mean she is Charlie's daughter, or just a young girl working for Kopai's company?

We see the Pink Pikmin in action, and we get an idea of how high they can fly! Does this mean that Pink Pikmin will be nearly invincible when carrying an object? Or will Pikmin 3 surprise players with flying enemies?

Also, notice how the cursor Alph uses to throw the Pikmin has changed to a Pink color. This is a brilliant addition. Now players will no longer have to look down at the icon showing the Pikmin about to be thrown. The cursor will instantly do the job for you.

There are two things to notice here. First is the return of a series enemy, the Armored Cannon Beetle. His main method of attack seems to be the same -- firing a giant boulder that crushes Pikmin. Here we can see that Alph is suffering a heavy loss. However, the real surprise comes immediately after...

Notice how after Alph and his Pikmin have payed the price, the rock Pikmin seem completely unharmed. Will rock Pikmin be invincible? They seem to have planted themselves into the ground in order for protection. Perhaps this is a formality in place to balance out the fact that they cannot be killed.

The shot here indicates Alph and Brittany are on the third day. Since they only have Red and Rock Pikmin at this point, it's all but confirmed that Rock Pikmin will be the second type you receive in the game. This is similar to how Purple Pikmin were encountered second in Pikmin 2. It seems the developers want us to get used to the new types quickly.

This is a very interesting idea to ponder: Here we see the ship's log and records of past days explored on the planet. Players can return to any previous day at any time in order to improve their score. However, notice how the days seem to feature titles. Here we see that day 3 is titled "Brittany and the Fruit" and the following day is titled "Where's Brittany?" Does this imply that Pikmin 3 will be more story-based than its predecessors? Or are these merely titles given for the tutorial portion of the game, in which the heroes have to reunite with each other?

Players can once again reach new heights with geysers!

The return of the Burrowing Snagret! He looks mad. Notice that none of these gameplay videos show our heroes using the march ability, previously used in Pikmin 1 and 2. The march ability allowed players to move the Pikmin as one large cluster in any direction they wanted. Its exclusion could pose problems for strategic-play.

And finally, the last minute of the Pikmin 3 footage demonstrated the Wii U Gamepad's capabilities in the game. Not much footage was shown of actual gameplay, however, we were told that you can separate each captain at any point in the map and assign them tasks, using the gamepad to monitor their progress. Here we see Alph on his way to complete some task, but we can also see some sort of radar in the upper left of the screen. This is most likely representing another captain off to the side of the map, but none of these captains has a yellow suit. Perhaps this is instead a radar used to tell the player that a captain is in trouble off-screen, and yellow indicates only a moderate danger.

That's all I've been able to uncover for now, but please share anything else that you noticed! Thanks for reading : )